Glass-severing method and apparatus therefor



Feb. 21, 1928. 1559,590

" c. A. BROWN ET AL GLASS SEYERING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR v.FiledJuly 23, 1923 l2 .r i.1 I

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' UNITED STATES v 1,659,590 PATENT OFFICE.

CARL A. BROWN AND ANDREAS C. NIELSEN, OF CLEVELAND,

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION O]? 01:10, ASSIGNORS TO NEWYORK.

GLASS-SEVEBING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Application filed July 23, 1923. Serial No. 653,085.

Our invention relates to methods and apparatus for severing blown glassarticles such as bulbs, from the tubing or the surplus neck portion towhich they are attached. Our invention may be used to advantage inconnection with the production of blown articles from tubing as sclosedin Hofstetter and Rippl Patent No. 1,330,707. It may also be used toadvantage, in connection with the production of blown articles by theblow-pipe gather method, to sever the blown article from the surplusneck portion which connects it to the blow iron. These are the principaluses of our invention but it will be obvious that it may also be appliedto a blown article which has been removed from a blow iron or glass tubeaccording to the usual practice.

One method which has been followed is to place the article, for instancea bulb as it is removed from the blow pipe, in a socalled cracking-offmachine. Here a sharp hot flame is directed against the bulb neck whichis then chilled by touching it with a cold edge and this results in aseverance along the line of contact. Another method is to invert thebulb so that the neck projects downwardly and to direct an intense flameagainst it in the proper plane so that the surplus neck is melted oifand drops of its own weight. The.first of these methods has theobjection that it requires annealing of the bulb to prevent breakage.The second method requires inversion of the bulb and so additionalhandling. By our invention, as distinguished from the first method. theseverance of the blown article is accomplished by heat alone and stillthe product is left with a clean sharp edge in the plane of severance.Moreover special annealing is not required. As distinguished from thesecond method, our invention does not re quire inversion of the bulb.Moreover our invention is a plicable to the removal of finished bulbs from the blow-pipe, which is not true of the second method.

The cutting-off of bulbs as they are produced from tubing, as describedin the pat cut above referred to, must necessarily be done in such a wayas to leave a uniform end on the tubing which remains so that it eformation of another bulb. This object issecured by our invention, andmoreover this is accomplished without constriction of the neck of thesegments connect.

arms 44 and 45 blown article at the blown article as thus produced isready for further operations such as the insertion of the filament andsupports in the case of bulbs for incandescent lamps. Further featuresand advantages of our invention will appear from the detaileddescription thereof which follows and from the accompanying drawing. Inthe drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially broken away of one formof a paratus embodying our invention; Fig. 2 IS a side elevation on anenlarged scale of the more important parts of the apparatus: Fig. 3 is atop lan view of the cutting-E burner in closed position; and Fig. 4 1s aside elevation of a cut-off bulb.

Referring to the drawing, is a bulb de-. from a tube 11. 12 and 13 aretwo pending semi-circular segments of a ring burner having orificesaround its inner circumference so as to direct flames toward a commoncenter when the segments are brought together. Gas and air are suppliedto said burner by pipes 14, 15, 16 and 17 leading to mixing chambers 18and 19 with which said burner The said segments are supported by rods 20and 21 which are mounted in blocks 22 and 23 pivoted at 24 and 25 toarms 26 and 27 extending from a hub 28. Springs 29 and 30 extend fromsaid hub to said blocks. The saidhub does not rotate, being held againstrotation by a standard 31 which passes through one end of the arm 26 andis supported upon the bed 32 of the machine. The hub 28 is looselymounted on a hollow shaft 33, being held in position by the collars 34and 35'carried by said shaft. The hollow shaft 33 extends down throughthe bed of the machine and is supported by the collar 36 carried by anarm 37 extending from a sleeve 38 which rides on a vertical shaft 39supported on the base of the machine. Extending from said sleeve is aroller40 which rides on a cam 41 so shaped as to cause the said rollerto be depressed or elevated .at certain intervals and to cause adepression or elevation of the parts carried by sleeve 38. The hollowshaft 33 has extending therethrough a rod 42 which extends and has-apairof links 43 at its upper end which are pivotally connected to gripperpivotally supported at their lower ends on arms 46 and 47 extending fromplaneof severance. The I the entire length thereof the collar 35. Therod 42 is carried by an arm 48 extending from a sleeve 49 riding on theshaft 39 and having a roller 50 extending therefrom which rides on a cam51. Rotation is given to the shaft 33 by a, central pinion or gear 52mounted on a main drive shaft 53. In case the bulb is rotated by othermeans, the rotation of shaft 33 is synchronous therewith. The gear 52meshes with pinion 53 carried by a bracket 54 which also carries idler55 which meshes with pinion 53 and also with the pinion 56 splined uponthe shaft 33. An anti-friction bearing 57 is provided between collar 36and collar 58 on shaft 33. The air and gas pipes 14 and 15 and also 16and 17, are connected respectively to the distributors 59 and 60controlled by valves 61 and 62. Flexible connections 63 and 64 areprovided between said mixing chambers and the pipes 14, 15, 16 and 17.An air reservoir 65 has a nozzle 66 connected thereto through the hollowstandard 31 and the blast from said nozzle is directed against the bulbin its lowermost position.

In Fig. 2 the apparatus is shown with the burner segments and rippersopen but in the raised position. T e parts are brought to the positionshown in Fig. 1 when the rod 42 is lowered by cam 51 as this closesgrippers 44'and 45 and allows springs 29 and 30 to close the burnersegments. The gas flame directed against the bulb neck then fuses andcuts through it, the bulb being rotated meanwhile. The shaft 33 thenlowers causing the bulb to be drawn down. Atthe same time the burnersare carried down and follow the bulb directing their flame against theupper edge. This is a very important feature of our invention since theplay of the flame upon the upper edge of the bulb neck gathers back onthe solid edge of the bulb neck. the hot and plastic film of glass whichhas been produced by separation of the bulb from the tubing. The resultis that the upper edge is glazed and rounded which gives it a verydesirable finish. The rod 42 is then raised to separate the grippers 44and 45, thus'releasing the bulb which may be directed toward a chute(not shown) by a blast of air from the nozzle 66. The opening of thegrippers 44 and 45 also serves to force the burner segments 12 and 13apart with a compression of the springs 29 and 30. Upon the subsequentlowering of the rods42 and the consequent closing of the grippers, theburner segments are brought together by expansion of said springs.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States,'is 1- l. The method of severing a hollow glass articlefrom a tubular glass body to which it is attached which consists indirecting a sufliciently hot and sharp flame against the same at thedesired plane of separation to cause a fusion and severance whilepreserving substantially intact the passage through the hollow glassarticle and su playing a flame on the severed edge of said article whilethe same is moved rom said tubular body.

2. The method of severing a hollow glass article from a tubular glassbody to which it is attached which consists in directing a suflicientlyhot and sharp flame against the same at the desired plane of separationto cause a fusion and severance while preserving substantially intactthe passage through the hollow glass article and then drawing saidarticle away from said tubular body while directing a flame against itsedge formed by such severance.

3. The method of severing a hollow glass article from a tubular glassbody to which it is attached which consists in directing a suflicientlyhot and sharp flame against the neck portion of said article to seversaid article while preserving substantially intact the passagetherethrough and drawing said article away from said tubular body and atthe same time causing said sharp flame to follow said article and toplay upon the edge thereof.

4. The method of severing bulbs from tubular glass bodies which consistsin direct ing a sufliciently hot and sharp flame agiainst the neck ofsaid bulb to fuse throug the same and cause a severance thereof whilepreserving substantially intact the passage therethrough, drawing saidbulb away from said body and, at the same time, causing said flame tofollow at the same speed as the drawing and to continue to play on theedge of said bulb.

Y 5. In an apparatus for severing a hollow glass article from a tubularglass body, the combination of a burner shaped to surround the saidbody, means for gripping the said "article, supports for said burner andgri ping means, and means for simultaneous y moving said gripping meansand burner relatively to said body to cause the said burnerto follow theline of severance as the said article is drawn away from the said body.

6. In an apparatus for severing a. hollow glass article from a tubularglass body, the combination of a burner comprising movable segments'adapted to be closed around the said body, means for gripping the saidarticle, supports for said burner and gripping means, means forsimultaneously movsequently Ill ing said gripping means and burnerrela-.

tively to said body to cause the said burner to follow'the line ofseverance as the said article is drawn away from the said body, andmeans for opening and closing said burner segments in proper sequencewith the operation of said moving means.

7. In an apparatus for severing a hollow glass article from a tubularglass body,

the combination of a burner sha ed to surround the said body, segmentagripping means adapted to be closed around said article, supports forsaid burner and gripping means, means for simultaneously moving saidgripping means and burner relatively to said body to cause the saidburner to follow the line of severance as the said article is drawn awayfrom the said body, and

means for opening and closing the seg ments of the gripping means inproper sequence with the operation of said moving means.

8. In an apparatus for severing a hollow glass article from a tubularglass body, the combination of a burner comprising movable segmentsadapted to be closed aroundthe said body, segmental gripping meansadapted to be closed around said article, supports for said burner andgripping means, means for simultaneously moving said gripping means andburner relatively to said'body to cause the said burner to follow theline of severance as the said article is drawn away from the said body,and means for opening and closing the burner and grip ping segments inproper sequence with the operation of saidmovmg means.

9. In an apparatus for severing a hollow glass article from a tubularglass body supported in a substantially vertical osition, thecombination of a burner shaped to surround the said body, means forgripping the said article, supports for said burner and gripping means,and means for simultaneously lowering said gripping means and burnerrelatively to said body to cause the said burner to follow the line ofseverance as the said article is drawn away irom the said body.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 19th day of Jul1923.

CARL A. BRO ANDREAS C. NIELSEN.

